President Lee Jae-myung’s K-Game Meeting (Seoul=Yonhap News) Reporter Han Sang-kyun – On the 15th, President Lee Jae-myung spoke at a K-Game on-site meeting held at Crafton’s game and cultural platform ‘PUBG Seongsu’ in Seongdong-gu, Seoul.
Major domestic game organizations welcomed President Lee Jae-myung’s statement that “games are not addictive substances” and expressed hope for the expansion of social recognition of games as a core cultural industry.
On the 20th, nine organizations including the Game Culture Foundation, Game Talent Foundation, Korea Game Industry Association, Korea Game Developers Association, Korea Game Users Association, Korea Mobile Game Association, Korea Artificial Intelligence Game Association, and Korea e-Sports Association issued a joint statement, saying, “We sincerely thank the president for his deep insight and thoughtful advice,” noting that “this remark will conclude the exhausting debates and serve as a turning point for viewing games as a major cultural industry in our society.”
They reported that during the ‘K-Game On-site Meeting’ on the 15th, when the president stated, “games are not addictive substances,” applause and cheers erupted from the audience. The organizations emphasized that “we have been fighting the social prejudice of viewing games as a disease and there were concerns about the industry’s foundation being shaken due to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) introduction of the ‘gaming disorder’ disease code,” and noted that “the president’s words resonated greatly with those in the gaming industry.”
The statement also evaluated that the president’s perspective is significant not merely for industrial promotion but as a “balanced approach.” The organizations expressed, “While encouraging the game industry as the backbone of Korea’s cultural industry, the president’s emphasis on the importance of fostering a healthy culture from both the developer and user perspectives was deeply resonant,” adding, “this presented the direction the industry should head towards.”
The organizations added, “As the president metaphorically said, ‘One should not do away with fermented products just because they have issues,’ we will also face industry problems head-on and resolve them wisely,” and noted, “we will fulfill the game industry’s crucial role in helping South Korea grow into a global content powerhouse, building on this balanced perspective.”